Sharjah: Police have started cracking down on company cars with tinted windows, as the number of violations has increased lately, according to a Sharjah Police official.
Many companies are unaware that they are not allowed to tint their car windows by law and that doing so means they could face a fine of up to Dh10,000, the official told Gulf News.
The Federal Traffic Law allows up to 30 per cent window tinting for all cars owned by individuals in the UAE. However, company cars are not allowed tinted windows, and fines of between Dh500 and Dh10,000, are issued while the vehicle is impounded for two weeks. A Dh800 fine and impounding for two weeks is imposed in Sharjah if company cars have tinted windows.
Mohammad Al Obaidi, a company owner based in Ajman, said the driver of his company was stopped by Sharjah Police last week because the company-owned car he was driving had tinted windows.
Another driver, Ali Ahmad, was stopped by Ajman Police for the same reason, and was issued a Dh500 ticket and asked to remove the tinting film.
Serious offences
Companies are asked not to tint their vehicles because their drivers commit many serious offences, the official said, citing an incident in which a company van with tinted windows was stopped by police, who found it was carrying a large amount of alcohol.
"Who is responsible for the violation in this case? Is it the company owner or the driver?" he asked, adding that such cars are sometimes used to smuggle passengers as well.
In Dubai, school buses and buses transporting workers are allowed to use the approved 30 per cent window tint, and car rental companies are also not fined for using it on their vehicles, but this is not the case in Sharjah. "There was a suggestion to link all car rental agencies with the police control room, but it has not been implemented yet," the official added
Anjad patrols in Sharjah conduct regular inspection campaigns on the issue of glass sunscreens to ensure that vehicle owners do not exceed the 30 per cent tinting level, which is an international standard and allows police to see the driver of the car clearly.
A special device is used to check the degree of tinting, which when placed next to a window can measure the amount of light that passes through the window and confirm whether it complies with the law.
The law stipulates a fine of Dh500 and confiscation of the vehicle for 30 days for excessive tinting in all emirates except Abu Dhabi, which imposes a fine of Dh10,000 for the violation.
